Tag Archives: Spiritual Development and Healing

Path of Forgiveness

25 Feb

Good morning to you!  Wherever you are in the world!  It is a quiet Tuesday morning at Gyeonggi English Village and the second day of my “weekend”.  While I regularly teach the young readers of Book Club on Saturdays, on Sundays I now seem to be a “free agent” of sorts for weekend programming.  I never know what I might end up teaching!

This past Sunday was launched with a three and a half hour class teaching cooking to a room of about 30 Korean elementary school students.  And while, for the most part, they were a good bunch… I couldn’t help but think that this situation would be suitable for Jedi training.  You know, learning to keep one’s cool and center in the midst of a great deal of activity, distraction and sometimes… chaos.  It was nothing out of hand… the expected repertoire of elementary classroom behavior.  There was some hair pulling, a little physical fighting, crying… and we can’t forget the ceaseless cries out for “Teacher, teacher, teacher, teacher…”  Yes, that would be me.  And luckily, also the name of my competent co-teacher for the day.

We made cinnamon rolls.  First, we organized the students into tables and gave each student a number.  When their number was called they came up front to get their designated ingredients.  In the spirit of practicing English, each student has to ask for the ingredient in English before we hand it over.  For some students, this is a walk in the park. For these young students, sweet as many of them were, the basics of English were still very new to them.  As I was handing out ingredients, I had to laugh at my reverent nature and bend towards the serious… with the echo of my Catholic upbringing and twelve years of Catholic school.  When I met each student solemnly one by one, I felt like I was giving out communion.

This past week continues to be a defrosting of sorts as winter, while still a bit of a nag, is starting to back off.  I can’t help but notice the sweet return of the birds consoling us that, yes, it is still cold out but it is almost over… we hope! With the thaw out comes the personal desire to lighten up and shed some metaphorical skin!  And so I have been doing a bit of reading.

The book at hand is  The Forgiveness Habit.  It is written by a friend of mine from the Landmark Education community, Jo Anne Rotermund, and has been on my radar for years.  It was only recently, at the suggestion of the friend, that I made the extra effort to download the book and began to take a read.  Now two-thirds into it, I am impressed by its fresh, simple and practical approach to the much traveled topic of forgiveness.ForgivenessHabit

The book begins with a survey of the forgiveness landscape.  What is it that keeps us locked in anger and makes it so darn difficult to simply forgive?  She offers a smart analysis of the paradigms of external and internal power. When we swim in the paradigm of external power, she says, we are locked in the pattern that someone outside of ourselves controls our happiness. She invites us to take note of sneaky little habits like “blaming” and “being right” and to simply notice them.  I couldn’t help but see how these habits perpetuate the dynamic of external power which leaves me feeling… powerless. When we are blaming or being right, we are operating in the paradigm of external power which denies ourselves access to our true strength – internal power. In truth, after years of spiritual reading and exploration, it was the first time I really “got” how these habits perpetuated feeling like a victim.  It is only once we begin to dance in the construct of internal power that God’s grace can take a hand!

As the journey continues, she introduces lovely new habits including gratitude and reverence.  Anyone who has explored their own healing and spiritual journey has likely knocked on the door of gratitude before.  It was a true pleasure to find it again here… in the context of forgiveness.  It was a good reminder to restore an old habit for the benefit of cultivating forgiveness.  Additionally, she introduced the habit of reverence, which she suggests is most easily accessible through quiet daily time with nature and the outdoors.  This was a welcome invitation to come out of my winter hibernation and begin to reconnect with nature again if even for a few minutes a day. These two simple tools feel like stepping-stones that can lead one through any challenge, burden or bitter past.

Jo Anne offered so many rich explanations of the cultural context of forgiveness.  It was truly liberating to read and filled me with a whole mess of “aha!” moments. This book is just one element of the World Forgiveness Initiative supported in part by Reverend Desmond Tutu.  Worth checking out!

As my weekend has already leaked into Tuesday, I look forward to a quiet day of tending to things at home and around Paju before returning to work tomorrow.  Good-bye for now!  Wishing you a warm and wonderful day!

Featured image, the frozen waters and quiet pathways on the grounds of Gyeonggi English Village.

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Don’t Worry About a Thing!

10 Feb

It’s a bright Monday morning at English Village, the second day of my weekend. There is a pleasing blanket of snow on the ground and sunny blue skies with a cool crisp air. I have to confess, at nearly mid-day… I am still in my pajamas.

The Making of White Bean Vegetable Extravaganza!

It is a typical day in many ways.  I began the morning with chanting, the foundation of my SGI Buddhist practice.  The morning has easily drifted into noon and I am enjoying some homemade soup for lunch.  It is delicious and just what the doctor ordered.  It was inspired by a recent Pinterest pin, Tuscan Vegetable Soup. But as I have been grocery-challenged lately, it really should be called “whatever I had left in the refrigerator” soup… or as I continued to add random this and that, “White Bean and Vegetable Extravaganza!”… you know how it goes.

Mmm! Hot Steamy Soup!

Mmm! Hot Steamy Soup!

I have had some bad grocery mojo over the last three weeks.  With the Lunar New Year holiday, I forgot to order my weekly dose of organic veggies, dairy and poultry from veggiehill.com. Coupled with that is the mysterious closing of two major stores that I count on for groceries, Home Plus and Costco.  I am sure it isn’t as mysterious as it appears to me…but twice now I have made shopping attempts, once the Sunday before the lunar holiday and once yesterday. Both times, the stores and their surroundings were eerily quiet. It seems that everyone knew the stores were closed…. except for me. One of the challenges of being an expat in Korea – finding myself “out of the loop” about such things…

Yesterday was a great day for me.  I began the day early as I needed to make my way to Seoul for an 11am SGI World Peace Meeting.  This is a regular monthly meeting of my English-speaking chapter in Korea of the international buddhist organization.  At each meeting a member shares their experience of how chanting and SGI has benefitted their life and this month I was invited to share. It was a great exercise to revisit my journey in SGI over the past three years paralleled with my gypsy adventure and just take note of how amazing it has all been. Writing the story of the fulfillment of so many large and small unexpected gifts almost felt like telling a story seen in a movie or read in a book. I had to remind myself, no really, it all happened.  And it happened to me!

The basic understanding of SGI Buddhism is that we are operating within a world of cause and effect.  That is a cause (word, action, thought) creates the effects in our lives.  This is Karma.  And so truly, we are not victims in our lives but instead living out the effects of our past causes.  With this in mind, SGI Buddhism offers the opportunity for liberation from past causes through chanting “”Nam-myoho-renge-kyo,” which, as identified by the 13th-century Japanese priest Nichiren, is the key to developing the Buddha nature.  As it says on the SGI website, “chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo enables people to unleash their hidden potential and unlock the courage and compassion to transform their lives and create positive value in their family, community and society.” I think of chanting like putting the most powerful pristine cause into creating a new effect in my life.  Or, in other words, changing my Karma.

I have only been practicing for three years now, but I have to acknowledge the very specific things I have chanted for on my journey that have found their way into my life in distinct and unpredictable ways.  I see my chanting practice as a tool for opening the door of the impossible and letting the possible in.

Sharing my experience to the group was really great for me.  It felt good to say out loud what I had accomplished and to take note of the many ways that chanting and SGI have been a pivotal part of my journey.  Additionally, it is said in the practice that any time you participate in an SGI activity or share your experience, it is another way of creating a powerful cause in your life (which brings a positive effect).  And I noticed that after sharing my experience to the group I felt transformed.  I spent the rest of the day feeling like I was in a sweet little slot of life.  It was as if my being just bypassed all the negative trappings of daily living and stayed for a bit in a crisp cool place.

And so, I continue the simplicity of my day.  As I find the considerations about “what’s next for me?” beginning to dance in my head, I will leave you with the message channeling through my mac speakers courtesy of Pandora.com… “Don’t worry about a thing.  Cause every little thing is gonna be alright!”  Have a great day!  And don’t forget to write, it’s always good to hear from you!

Image above, the  snowy greeting outside my front door on a wintery Sunday morning.

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Reiki Break

16 Jan

It’s a quiet day at English Village.  Winter is here, but it’s not making a big fuss. Sure, it’s blowing around some icy cold air. Whispering, “you might want to think twice about that walk outside.”  Overall, it’s being generally well-behaved….but still winter, nonetheless.

The program I have been teaching these past couple of months at English Village is nearing an end.  It’s a book club targeted to blossoming English readers as young as 3 to as old as 8 or 9.  The students are grouped into small classes by age and reading ability and spend some of their time here reading different character stories including Clifford, Nate the Great and Arthur.  There are weekday and Saturday classes but after January 24, the weekday classes will exist no more.  My book club co-teacher and I will likely be relocated to new (or old) pastures, teaching somewhere else in the Gyeonggi English Village landscape.

With the polite, but still cold weather my motivation for venturing out and about continues to slide.  Lately I am doing my best to engage and entertain myself mostly at the home front.  I have started training once a week at the on-campus weight room with one of our English teachers who is also an experienced trainer.  As it’s been perhaps 20 years since I have been in a weight room, mostly occupied with the gentle work of yoga in the interim, it is a bit of an adjustment to my mind, body and being.  While reacquainting myself with the various exercises, I do my best to maintain the balanced attitude and physical stature of yoga while still responding adequately to the heavy (to me!) weights descending upon my body. The intention is to build some strength… but my desire is to do so in a moderate way.

I continue to lead a weekly yoga class for interested teachers at English Village.  This week there was a little twist in the routine as I led a yoga class for elementary and middle school students studying and living here for a month-long program.  Leading yoga for younger people continues to be a new experience for me.  I am still finding my feet or perhaps my wings when teaching yoga to kids. Overall, the class went really well.  While they weren’t exactly hoisting me onto their shoulders and chanting “yoga!  yoga!” when it was finished, I would call it a success.  There were 31 pre-adolescent Korean girls tightly packed in a very cold room at 4pm in the afternoon. They were generally quiet and mostly engaged throughout the entire class.  I say, “Bravo!”

Recently I began offering Reiki treatments to teachers here at English Village. Reiki, as you may know, is a spiritual practice of mine for nearly ten years.  It is a simple but powerful spiritual tool and healing art that originated in Japan.  An intrigued collection of teachers have responded to the call and received a hands on Reiki-treatment.  For some, they share it is their first time trying something “like this…”  It seems their reasons to try Reiki are many – curiosity, health and healing, a need for restoration and relaxation.  I am really grateful to be able to offer to those who are interested here.  Often there is nothing like a Reiki treatment to turn over a new leaf, get past a cold, regain some balance, or just really let go if even for a little bit.

I have heard my Reiki teacher compare taking a Reiki class, typically a two or three-day commitment, to going on a Hawaiian vacation. Indeed, it is truly a restorative break to bask extensively in the practice and energy of Reiki.

I can recall, over 5 years ago, when I traveled to an annual Reiki gathering at a retreat center in the pristine forests of Oregon. Collectively as Reiki students, practitioners and teachers, we spent the whole weekend giving each other Reiki treatments, sharing, and listening to stories from some of the leaders of our Reiki tradition.  After that time away from the city and dipping in Reiki for days, I was amazed to see that a problem that was persistently on my mind prior to the gathering was completely resolved within me.  I felt at ease and wholeheartedly clear as to what I needed to do.  I returned to New Orleans, my home at the time, and fearlessly and easily took action on that insight. Good things naturally flowed afterwards. Self-Reiki-Badge

While I am here with quiet time at English Village, my Reiki practice is one of the things I lean on.  At the foundation of my practice is daily self-treatments.  Part of the beauty of Reiki is that you can easily give it to yourself.  We are taught in classes that Reiki is for self first.  After nearly ten years of practice, daily self-treatments are almost like breathing to me. It’s hard to imagine a day without them.  Reiki Master Pamela Miles has created a badge to bring to light and honor the importance of daily Reiki self-treatments.  Click on the red badge to learn more.

In addition to self-treatment and giving hands-on treatments to people here,  I also send Reiki daily to friends and family all over the world.  As a second degree practitioner, I can do what is known as a distance Reiki treatment and send Reiki to people, places and situations anywhere and at any point in time. An interesting benefit of Reiki is that sending it to others it is actually a way to care for myself. As I send daily to the needs and requests of others, I just feel better.  It’s amazing how while sending Reiki the thoughts and entanglements of the day begin to dismantle.

As a traveler, how lucky I am that no matter where I am in the world, I have Reiki with me.  All I need to do is give myself a treatment to begin to melt away whatever it is… a cold or flu, anxiety, fatigue.

Are you curious about Reiki or perhaps a Reiki practitioner yourself?  Do you have your own Reiki story to share? It would be fun to hear from you!  I am also happy to answer any questions about Reiki.  Ask away. If you’d like to experience Reiki for yourself, you can always request a distant Reiki treatment.  If you are in South Korea, a hands-on treatment may also be an option.  Visit my Services page to learn more.

Here is a simple video introducing Reiki presented by Reiki Master Pamela Miles.  If you would like to learn Reiki for yourself, there are teachers all over the world!  Here is a database of teachers and classes in the Usui Shiki Ryoho system, the traditional system that I know and trust.  I can also recommend my teacher, Elizabeth Ohmer Pellegrin, located in New Orleans but willing to travel for classes anywhere on the planet.

Thanks for reading!  And remember, it’s always great to hear from you!

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Happy New Ear!

3 Jan

Well it seems all too easily 2013 has slipped away with the arrival of 2014.  As is typical here at English Village, we worked right through the holidays.  And so I shared my New Years with a very young assembly of party-goers, our students.  As I did my best in class to communicate about the New Year in very simple English, two of my youngest students liked saying “Happy New Ear”… instead of “Happy New Year”… and so, I pass their amusement on to you.

It continues to be a quiet winter season.  The snow is periodically melting giving way to dirty streets and icy patches.  English Village is currently entertaining a group of month-long visitors for a program called VIP.  This student body is generally around 11 – 14 years old.  The month of January is a winter holiday for Korean students.  As learning English and studying is a high priority here, around 200 lucky students are spending their winter holiday here.  I am not teaching these students as I am teaching the youngest students at English Village, a program where we read books, do simple english activities, play games and do crafts.  Truly a world apart from the busy adolescent body of VIP.

I continue to be aware of what an odd life I lead here in English Village.  Recently a friend from Germany wished me well in my current adventures in the UK.  “I am not in the UK…” I had to distinguish to him.  “I am at a place called English Village… it’s in South Korea.” True, the architecture of English Village is hardly reminiscent of South Korea… and it’s not intended to be.  This is a place where South Koreans can be immersed in the English language and something like western life… without leaving their country.  It’s the only place where I can feel like a rock stock just for smiling, saying hello and speaking English.

Despite the strangeness of life in English Village, there are many things that I cannot help but be grateful for.  In the simplest of terms it has afforded me a safe and mostly gentle respite in life where I can live, develop and grow.  It is nestled in the un-busy hills of Paju City that always feels like a relief to me after returning home from a day in Seoul.  There are many friendly English-speaking faces here and a whole network of resources for surviving and navigating life in South Korea.  Plus, there is a whole world to discover not far outside our door and easy access to Seoul.

Recently I took myself on a little pre-New Years celebration/adventure to a traditional Korean bath, known as a jjimjibang.  I went to a bath in Seoul called Dragon Hill known for its friendliness and accessibility to foreigners (that’s me…).  It was only my second visit since arriving in Korea.  I have to admit it still takes a little “somethin'” for me to go to a public place where I will be walking around naked in front of strangers.  While it might seem unusual to some Americans, the practice is quite common in Korea. At the Dragon Hill spa, you take the elevator to the women’s sauna floor, find your locker, take off your clothes and you’re on your way!

Entrance to Dragon Hill Spa
Dragon Hill Spa

The sauna itself is filled with a myriad of inviting, warm, herbal baths.  Ah, so nice and invigorating.  It’s sort of fun for me to go there as a foreigner who doesn’t speak or understand Korean.  In some ways I get to be almost invisible as I glide in and out of the tubs surrounded by many Korean faces and bodies.  It’s also a joy to share the innocence of unspoken communication… the simple things that are done to acknowledge someone else in a friendly way – a laugh, a smile when there is something to be said but no words to use.

While at Dragon Hill I gave myself a special New Years treat and signed up for a massage.  This was, as it turns out, no ordinary massage… but 90 minutes of full body acupressure, thai massage, foot massage, facial acupressure, head massage and facial treatment… whew!  Are you feeling relaxed yet?  It was, in fact, one of the most kind and loving things I have ever done for myself.  At one point I just laughed out loud in sheer joy as I had some sort of facial treatment on my face (that felt really cool and refreshing) while my body continued to be coaxed into release and relaxation.  Granted, it wasn’t quite the personal “massage therapist” experience you might have back in the States.  At one point I heard someone call the name of the man who was giving me my message. He responded to the call immediately and just dropped my leg on the table in mid-massage.  Nonetheless, he was very good at what he did and I was grateful.

As this year has come to an end, myself and others are looking to the New Year with some sort of intention or fresh energy. In honor of that I thought I would share a few of the things that really make a difference in my life.  If you know me or read my blog, you are already aware that Reiki and SGI Buddhism are both spiritual pillars in my life.  But here are a few others that I seldom mention that would enhance any New Year.  Enjoy!

  1. Dan Millman’s 4 Minute Workout
    You many know Dan Millman, the well-loved guru whose story is told in the movie Peaceful Warrior. I learned this sweet little workout during a cold, quiet winter in Germany.  It’s great because it moves and addresses every part of the body in only 4 minutes.  It’s a perfect way to bring some movement into your life on daily basis.
  2. Art of Living Sudarshan Kriya
    I stumbled upon the Art of Living in post-hurricane Katrina New Orleans.  Their was something about the organizational name that caught my attention.  I attended an informational session and felt inspired to take their first course which teaches the Sudharshan Kriya.  The Kriya is a simple sequence of breathing and movements.  I have done it regularly for about 7 years now. It’s something I can count on to ease stress, reduce anxiety, bring me back to my body, and help release any physical pains or discomforts.  Click here for more information and to find a course near you.
  3. Radiant Recovery
    Many of us know… on some level… you are what you eat.  For many people, myself included, eating a heathy and appropriate diet is the difference between day and night in health and feeling good.  A friend referred me to this program of eating.  It’s signature book is “Potatoes not Prozac” as part of the ensemble of new eating habits is eating a potato before bed.  It is targeted for people who are “sugar sensitive” and gently unfolds a program backed by science to support health and well-being. Do you think you might be sugar sensitive?  Read here to learn more!

How about you?  What are your plans and inspirations for the New Year?  Any cherished goodies to share to help launch me and others into the New Year?

Wishing you a powerful, happy and transformative New Year!  And as always, thanks for reading!

Photo on top, in class with the little ones we made party hats for our New Years celebration!

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Looking Back

19 Dec

It’s hard to believe it… but its been a year since I first arrived at Gyeonggi English Village!  It was July of 2012 when I first saw the posting for the job on Dave’s ESL Cafe.  I was in France at the time doing a work exchange at a bed and breakfast.  I knew that I wanted to keep traveling. A friend encouraged me to explore jobs teaching ESL (English as a Second Language).  I perused many jobs on the internet and I applied for one. The job here at English Village.  And here I am.

After I applied, it was a month or so until I heard from them.  I happily had a brief Skype interview at 4am my time. Shortly after I was offered the job and then began the quick rearranging of my world and life in the direction of South Korea.  This needed to include a return to the States for the lengthy Korean visa process. I quickly needed a new place to go as my current arrangement in France was nearing the end.  Thankfully and luckily, I made plans to do a work exchange with a family in the States through the website helpx.net.  I booked a cheap last minute flight with a German airline called Condor and within what seemed like the blink of an eye I was back in the States.  And so began the process of getting a Korean visa, which took me in total nearly 4 months.

When the visa finally came through it was almost a shock… so many months of preparation and planning and then… suddenly… I actually needed to BOOK a ticket to Korea!  I was exhilarated and nervous all at the same time!  As some friends and family know, I am not one of those laid back, calm, cool and collected travelers.  I get nervous. Really nervous.  And while my heart, mind and spirit truly love the excitement, adventure and experience of going to new places… the journey for me often comes with good helping of anxiety.

I can still remember the night before I was to leave for Korea.  I was at my parent’s house where I had been visiting for a few days prior to my departure.  Suddenly I had this thought that going to Korea was just a crazy notion.  I called my friend, Reiki teacher and often co-pilot on this journey and asked… “am I crazy?  Is this a crazy idea?” Her response, as it often is, was, “what does you gut say” and truth be told… my gut was really okay with it.  And so the next day I got on a plane and flew to Korea.

When I arrived I was also really nervous.  Happily for me the school arranged for me to be picked up by taxi at the airport to drive me the hour or so journey to English Village in Paju City.  At the airport the taxi driver held a sign with my name on it and took my hand as he led me to the taxi.  He was a friendly older man and I was grateful for his parent-like support.

My beginning at English Village was cold and  a little rocky.  My first day of work there was a major ice storm and I spent my day carefully walking up and down icy steps waiting for the HR staff to return to the office and direct me where to go.  But in time, slowly, I began to find my way and collect the people, places and things I needed to be warmer and more at home.

As I began teaching in the classroom I was also… really nervous.  With a background in higher education and professional experience leading students and workshops, I knew I was a good teacher.  But it had been over ten years since I had done that.  In the wake of that was a decade of personal challenges that had my confidence and nerves more than a little shaky.  In the beginning I did my best, I showed up, and I did the work even though I was scared.

In a short amount of time my confidence increased and I felt more satisfied and capable in the classroom.  I did my best to pay attention to the teachers I thought were good and adapted my technique accordingly.  In time I took on some additional projects creating curriculum for the program and continued to develop myself personally and professionally.

This past year has also been a big year for me in my spiritual development.  About three years ago I became a member of a Buddhist organization called SGI (Soka Gakkai International).  I discovered the practice when I still lived in New Orleans.  A Buddhist friend there introduced me to the practice and suggested that I explore chanting “nam myoho renge kyo” for things that I wanted.  Surprisingly, as I began to chant I found the things I was chanting for gently appeared in my life.  When I became a member, my life began to change quickly and within a few months I left New Orleans and had a ticket to Europe. I took this new practice with me on the road living in Germany and France.  I connected with a few local SGI groups while in Europe, but it wasn’t until I came to South Korea that I found an SGI group where I became a regular member.

With the support of English-speaking expat leaders in South Korea, I have learned a great deal more about the practice and about myself.  I have been inspired to increase my regular chanting, the foundation of the practice.  I see now more clearly that regular chanting is a bedrock I can rest on to continue to meet and overcome challenges in my life and to usher in new and good things for myself.  In my life as it is, with so much opportunity but also challenges and uncertainty, the foundation of a good spiritual practice makes all the difference in the world.  It makes the impossible… possible.

Here are a few photos from the year:

Traditional Korean Village in Seoul, South Korea.

And so, a year has come and gone.  And now the question that beckons is… what’s next?  Well, as you can see, I am still at English Village!  I have learned on this journey that it is best to be open to and take action for new possibilities and then be prepared… for the unexpected.  Sometimes things stay the same but sometimes when you least expect it they have a way of changing on a dime.

Thanks for being a part of this journey in whatever way you may be… a friend or a family member, a curious reader or fellow traveler.

I am writing from my cold office in English Village, hesitant to take off my gloves to type on the keys as there is an icy cold lingering in the room. The snowy weather has quieted down the campus with fewer teachers, fewer students and less activity.  As the holidays grow closer, they will nearly be missed at English Village.  We will be working through it all.

Good bye for now from the cold and frozen land of Paju English Village.  Sending warm holiday thoughts your way!

Featured image at top, a snowy bouquet of flowers outside a Seoul subway station.

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Winter Warm-up

6 Dec

Good morning from English Village!  Winter is slowly creeping in.  Admittedly, I am not a cold weather person.  But with some proper layering and a good scarf… so far, not so bad!  As the cold weather has begun to show her face, it is standard these days to see teachers roaming about wearing coats, hats and scarves – inside and out.

It’s been a good week.  Life has been about teaching English, staying warm and easing into winter. Warm soups and spicy herbal teas. Enthusiastic (and some not so enthusiastic) young Korean English students.  And the regular  diversion to Seoul.

This past Sunday I went with some friends from my SGI Buddhist group to a restaurant in Itaewon (in Seoul) called Petra’s Palace.  It was wonderful!  It’s a mediterranean restaurant owned by a family from Jordan.  The selections are delectable.  I had the chicken kabob.  Another friend had the curry.  There was hummus and tabouleh for everyone.  The best thing for me was – nearly the entire menu included items with no sugar added!  Hooray!  It was a wonderful, satisfying meal and I look forward to going back.

When we were leaving Petra and heading up the small windy road in Itaewon, a Korean man on a motorcycle buzzed by in an elaborate flair.  His motorcycle was decorated with…I’m not sure what… but it was big and unexpected and he couldn’t help but be noticed as he sped loudly down the alleyway.  It was such a breath of fresh air to see something outrageous… if even for a moment.  After living in New Orleans for 13 years, it seems that is something my spirit has been missing.

Adventures in teaching English continue.  Overall, it’s really a great break to teach small groups of young children.  While most days ease by with the typical reading of books and English games and activities… every once in a while there is something unexpected or unpredictable.  I have a few little ones who don’t get along with each other and this is challenging in class.  They say things to each other in Korean and… I don’t know what they are saying.  So I don’t know if one is provoking the other or if I need to intervene.  Inevitably it ends with someone getting mad, not talking, stomping off and sometimes… in the swinging of little arms and someone getting hit.  Yikes.  Nothing too serious, as it is little people arms and little people hits.  The parents are helpful and supportive but as they speak limited English and I don’t speak Korean… it can be difficult to create a good resolution.

I have some happy breakfast news in my world of healthy eating.  A friend of mine recently turned me on to a new protein powder called Juvo Raw Green Protein.  I just got it this week from my favorite Korean delivering company, iherb.com.  It’s fabulous and I am so excited.  It turns out this product was actually created by a Korean doctor who teaches at a local university. It has wonderful ingredients, doesn’t taste too bad, and provides all the nutrients and proteins I need for breakfast in the morning.  It has slimmed down my morning routine considerably (which typically includes making oatmeal and eggs every morning.  Ugh.)  I follow a diet called radiant recovery for people with sugar sensitivity.  At the heart of this diet is plenty of protein and healthy carbs at every meal (oatmeal, brown rice, quinoa…).  It takes some effort to do, but it is well worth it.  This protein powder is a big help!  Yippee!

The winter slowdown is starting to kick in.  The skies are white.  The wind is cold.  And the need and desire to be out and about is… diminishing.  Life is slow right now.  And in truth, it feels pretty good.

Good bye for now from the newly barren lands of English Village, reminiscent of the stark and quiet country I saw when I arrived here nearly a year ago.  I am sending warm winter thoughts your way!  Feel free to write and let me know how you are.  It’s always good to hear from you!

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Happy Birthday and Other Stories

25 Nov

It’s early evening on a Monday night at English Village.  Monday is basically my “Sunday” as I work Saturdays and am off Sunday and Monday.  There is a new crop of students bustling through English Village this week.  I can hear their enthusiasm and giggles outside my window.  They are likely shopping at the EV Mart located just below my new apartment.

It’s been a simple yet satisfying Monday.  It’s already dark outside and the day has turned into night… and I am still in my pajamas.  It’s been one of those kind of days.  A day where playing around in the kitchen led to cleaning the kitchen which led to making some lentils which led to working on my computer.  This led to chatting with a friend on Facebook which led to a string of many other miscellaneous activities, interests and obligations.  Starring just me… in my pajamas.  In my new apartment.  A while ago my sister saw a skit by a comedian who was cleaning up his office.  This simple act led to a barrage of fun and exciting games in his comic skit, playfully discovering new things in the process.  She said that he reminded her of me as when I was a child cleaning out my closet turned into a playful adventure of discovery and a day long event!  It’s been one of those kind of days.

The weather is turning colder and we are all taking refuge in our warmer coats and scarves.  We even had a few snow flurries earlier this week.  With the cold weather brings fewer little students braving the cold and attending the bookclub program that I teach.  Those that do arrive have cold bodies and runny noses.

This week with the itty bitties has been pretty basic as we investigate the world of reading in English.  I continue to explore new ways to engage them as their energetic bodies enter the classroom not quite yet ready to be seated and listen and read.  Sometimes I play with them a little bit with yoga having some physical fun until they can slowly come to a place of a bit… more… focus.

I tried playing Mad Libs with some of my older students this week.  You remember that, right?  You make a random list of nouns, adjectives and words and then fill in the blanks to reveal your silly story.  At first as we approached this in class, it was an adventure in clarifying what exactly is a verb, and adverb, and adjective.  And once we had traversed that landscape, it was their turn to make their list.  And then, at last when we filled in the words for their silly story, the response was a little bit… unexpected.  While they did chuckle a bit, they were not totally delighted.  In some ways there was some embarrassment and a desire to change the words to make it fit better in the story.  Not quite the Mad Lib joy I remembered.

Sunday I congregated with some friends in my Buddhist SGI group in Seoul.  We met at a local Korean chapter meetings as we were one of the featured entertainers at their annual meeting.  It was quite a hoot as we did a simple Zumba dance with flashing lights making us look fancier than we really were.  Despite my resistance to the whole things it was indeed… fun!

Afterward we were treated to a Korean style pork dinner known as Samgyeopsal.  It is a local favorite and pretty simple really. Tables receive uncooked cuts of pork that you cook on the barbecue on your table.  It’s served with an assortment of sides, most of which were off-limits to me with my sensitivity to sugar, a staple additive to most Korean dishes. Before the meal we were all offered a large plastic bag to put our coats and belongings in.  I was told the purpose of the bags  is to keep your coat and personal items from smelling from the thick aroma of  barbecue.  How is that for service? As the meal arrived, everyone busily prepared the food and cut… using kitchen scissors as it the custom in Korea.  No knives here!  And before you know it, our food was ready to eat.

At the end of the meal was a little  celebration to honor my birthday courtesy of the lovely people in my Seoul SGI district.  The night before I received a cryptic text message asking (knowing that I can’t eat refined sugar)… can I eat honey?  What about maple syrup?… “not really, I replied.”  Alas I dampened an earnest attempt to bake a cake for my birthday I could actually eat.  And so, defeated, they presented me with an ordinary birthday cake, beautiful  in style and intact with a candle to blow out.  It was a lovely gesture even though… I couldn’t eat it…  So I took it in visually, cut it up equally and distributed it to the guests.  And I didn’t even lick the icing off my fingers.

When it was time to leave the weather outside had turned to wind and rain.  As this was unexpected, none of us were armed with an umbrella.  In elegant SGI style, the Korean woman’s district leader who was dining with us had someone go out and fetch umbrellas for all of the over a dozen guests.  Happily we received our new umbrellas and headed out into the rain content to be dry.  Soon after I made my return to Paju.

The weekend is coming to a close and I have a few more hours of play before night turns to day and a new week begin.  Please write if you like and tell me what is up in your world.  It’s always good to hear from you!

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New Nest

14 Nov

It’s a chilly day in Paju, South Korea.  I am taking a little break hovered around the electric heater like a campfire.  While true, it is not yet winter, the icy cool Paju weather has begun to make an appearance. The long cold winter is just around the corner.

My big English Village news this week is that I have moved into a larger apartment.  This is not a small event for me.  As someone who has been traveling for the past three years, often living in the grace and space of other people’s homes in a variety of situations (the most unexpected of which was a mattress lovingly placed on top of a table in an extra storage room)… my two-room apartment (an upgrade from my one-room space of the last ten months) feels like a castle.  I could hardly hide my joy as I was moving in.  So much room.

I have a tub in my new apartment.  It is a most loved addition as it seems I am part fish and need a regular immersion in water.  This is, however, no ordinary tub.  It is a Korean size tub.  Quite simply it means… it is small. No room for long “western” sized legs.  No room to expand and relax or even move side to side.  But it does have a cumfy built-in head rest. The best part is that it holds hot water just the same and, thankfully, at least I can fit in.

I continue to teach, entertain and negotiate my relationships with my new young students. Mostly… they are so cute.  This week I explored doing a little yoga with them to try to focus some of their endless spritely energy.  Their willing nimble bodies moved and grooved happily into a variety of child-friendly yoga poses.

One student who I teach one-on-one I am learning is a bit of a joker and likes to play games with me.  She will often say a different name from what something actually is in the spirit of her own little fun.  The other day she decided when reading a book about a variety of creatures, that I was the octopus and she was, of course, the princess.  Alas, who can argue with that!

One of my student’s loves to play the game hangman.  You know how it goes – you guess a letter and if that letter is not in the word you get a body part drawn on the classic hangman post resembling the number 7. When she plays she adds her own twist.  She draws the hangman in typical Korean cute fashion –  a delicate girl head and body, with fancy hair,  bow and dress.  Too funny. Another student recently showed up for class in a sweatshirt with a Ninja face hood complete with see through eyes on the hood.  I was pretty impressed and very cool as far as kids things go.  And still, another student when drawing a picture of a turtle had to include the much loved Korean ponytail often drawn by little girls in pictures and drawings.

Earlier this week I attended the local Korean chapter of my Buddhist group, Soka Gakkai International.  It is quite a system we have established to negotiate connecting with our obvious language barriers.  There is one young member who went to college in the United States and speaks excellent English.  We begin the journey with her contacting me via text. She lets me know when the meeting is and what time to be ready.  Then a different Korean member picks me up at English Village and takes me to the meeting.  The ride is friendly but often quiet with little to communicate.  A few stops are made along the way, picking up other women SGI members.

Arriving at the meeting, its always a joy to experience the excitement and love I feel from this group even though we can’t communicate.  Often young members are excited to see me and I wonder if some of them have ever seen someone who isn’t Korean before.  And so I listen to the meeting, with the help of my friendly translator who meets me there.  In no time at all the meeting is over and once again I am whisked back safely to English Village.

As the weather turns cooler and with my new big apartment, I find myself more inclined to nesting and staying warm at home. Cooking soups.  Feeling somehow like I want to prepare myself for the winter.

But for now, it’s an afternoon of classes.  It’s just another day at English Village.

Photo: The bright Fall lights on the English Village Campus.

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Cool Change

2 Sep

It’s a cool Monday morning here at English Village.  A little unexpected, I find myself relaxed and free in the mid-afternoon on a Monday. Why is that you say?  Is English Village closed today?  Have the hundreds of adolescent Korean students lost their way to English Village and we have the day off?  The answer to both of those questions is no.  The reason is quite simple.  Starting tomorrow, Tuesday, I will wear a new “hat” at English Village.  My new responsibilities come with a new schedule.  I will work from Tuesday to Saturday.  So today as I transition to the new schedule I have an extra day of respite.  Hooray!

What sort of hat will I be wearing you ask?  Well, beginning tomorrow I will be one of two teachers at English Village who will teach a regular afternoon book club/ school for young Korean students.  The teacher who had taught the program for the past year is moving on and as she prepares to leave I am stepping into her spot.  The job it seems is pretty simple and autonomous.  I will have mornings to prepare and afternoons of five 50 minutes classes with small collections of students mostly age 5 and 6.  We will read books, practice basic English and what else I suppose… remains to be seen.

I was asked just a few days ago if I would like to take the position.  In truth the offer came at a pretty good time.  Although there are many things that I like about the teaching I was doing – my co-teachers, some of the lessons, the joy of a good class, and the variety of students taught – in truth my mind, body and being were needing a break of some sort.  It was stressful for me and sometimes felt like a crazy ride that just wasn’t that fun anymore.  And so, while in truth there are things I was hesitant to leave… I am grateful for the opportunity for a change.

And so is my body.  By the end of last week my back and my neck… just didn’t work so well anymore.  When I went to my regular chiropractor appointment on Saturday, where he regularly works on my injured ankle, I sheepishly admitted that I could barely move my back and my neck.  As I laid there, I felt like a wounded soldier.  He flipped me over, took a look at my back and said in true form to his joking demeanor, “You need to find a rich husband.”  Translation, my back had been over stressed and I really needed to take it easy.  His suggestion for the week, wear a back support brace.  The rest, we will revisit on the next appointment.

Since then I have been doing plenty of yoga, Reiki and swimming and my back and neck are softening up a bit.  But still ultimately, my body is in need of some continued tender-loving-care.

I had a great time this weekend with a relaxing day in Seoul on Saturday.  I spent the night in Seoul at the home of friends from my Buddhist group.  Then Sunday morning we went together to our monthly world peace meeting.  This meeting is a gathering of members throughout our English-speaking chapter in Korea.  It was great to see some familiar faces that I haven’t seen in a while.  Afterwards a small group of us went to grab some wonderful tacos at my favorite local taco joint.  Yes I know when you think Seoul – you don’t think tacos… but there are some great tacos to be found. We went to Gusto Taco‘s newly opened second restaurant.  Great homemade tacos and burritos made with fresh ingredients and personal service.  We all ate to our hearts content and then continued on with our Sunday.

The weather in Korea it seems has made the tilt away from Summer and is now heading towards Fall.  It is unmistakable in the air and we are all enjoying the freshness of the changing of seasons.

Today I made a quick, okay not so quick, sojourn to the local Pharmacy to buy a back support for my poor aching back.  This was my first time going to the pharmacy and finding it wasn’t quite as direct as it looked on the map.  The journey there required a lot of asking directions on my part and the humbling experience of trying to express my needs when I cannot speak the local language.  With some good fortune and basic hand pointing I was successful on my journey.  On my way home I passed these lovely gardens.  Here are a few photos to share.

A glimpse of color in the gardens of Les Battees, France.

So for now I will continue my bonus Monday as I indulge in the cool change in the weather and the gentle shift in my work responsibilities. Ah, a good day to relax my body and mind and prepare for my first day of new work tomorrow.

How are things in your world?  It’s always good to hear from you!

Photo on top, a quick snapshot of pretty little flowers in a garden I discovered just around the corner from English Village in Paju South Korea.

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Joyous

25 Aug

It’s a Sunday morning here at English Village.  I am listening to Krishna Das on Pandora.com trying my best to sooth my soul.  The sun is shining outside and it is a warm summer day.

This Friday was a benchmark of sorts at English Village.  It was the end of our month of special programming.  The end of the month-long program for middle school students, the end of the visiting programs from Japan and Russia, and the end of the two-week program I was teaching, the Global Leadership Program.

While it was the end of some things, for now there is no break for weary English Village teachers.  In past years we are told there has been a break or slow week following this busy month of special programming.  But not this year.  We return to work on Monday,  the wheels of English Village returning to full spin as we usher in a total of about 500 new students in a handful of different programs.  Recently, we have had a hearty handful of teachers leaving English Village for new opportunities or to return home.  As our staff is depleting, so far our workload is not.

So mostly what it seems I can do for now do is ride this crazy English Village ride and try my best not to lose my balance in the process. Even better, perhaps there is a place to be joyous.  There was a quote I liked on the Art of Living facebook page today.  It said, “Just wake up and see that you are beautiful. The innocence in you is so beautiful.”  What a good reminder! This isn’t a fake pretend to be happy when you’re really upset with the world kind of beauty and joy, but a truth that radiates from within.  I know that place.   It is something that is never lost, but sometimes just needs some extra attention.

The truth is there are many things about English Village that are really great and make it a good place to work.  We teach non-traditional subjects (cooking, media and entertainment, arts and culture) and often create our own content that we teach.  We see a variety of students which keeps things interesting – students from Russia, Japan, Thailand, and all over Korea.  Mostly we teach middle school students, but sometimes we teach elementary students, high school students, university students and even adults.  The variety is appealing to me as I see benefits to teaching all of these age groups.  We have a lot of flexibility and autonomy in the classroom. We don’t have papers to grade.  We don’t have daily lesson plans to create. But sometimes, after a week upon week of riding the English Village wave…truthfully I feel dizzy and I just want to get off.  As said by one of the more senior and respected members of our staff, “You just need a break from those crazy kids.”

The Global Leadership Program that I just completed had its highlights and challenges.  Overall a good group of kids.  They ranged from about age 9 to age 13 with English-speaking skills spanning from virtually no English to good basic English communication.  I worked with three other teachers and we taught curriculum that we outlined and created ourselves. With my interest and experience, I was teaching lessons like leadership, yoga and meditation.  But after last weeks yoga class (see last weeks blog for more about this!), I decided meditation may not be the right thing for this group at the end of a long busy day.  We opted for frisbee instead.  A good choice.

I did teach them a relaxation breathing technique in homeroom class the other day.  Its called alternate nostril breathing.  And that is essentially what it is… using your fingers to cover up alternate nostrils to breath and relax the body and mind.  It’s a great technique and works well.  I am still growing in my confidence in teaching these types of things to moderately interested children and adolescents.  Many of these techniques look a bit strange and I am sure they think I am at least a little weird for teaching them.  I told them this was good to use when you were nervous as they were all going to give a presentation on stage for their parents later that day.  That afternoon when they were standing in line a few of them tried out the breathing technique which makes me think perhaps the lesson wasn’t totally lost. In the end of GLP, one of the students looked up at me wide-eyed and said “Oh, teacher I am sad.  It is the end.  I am sad to leave.  I will come back again next year.”  Little jewels like this help to balance things out.

And for now my Sunday continues.  My plan for the day is to do my best to rest on my own and recharge my batteries before we start rolling for a new week.  And tune into and explore within me that which is joyous.

It seems that summer may be winding down as the day is more often greeted with a cool breeze in the air.  While it is still a bit hot, I am grateful for the heat of the sun penetrating through my body.  Perhaps it comes from all those years spent in the balmy lands of New Orleans.  I am not ready for summer to slip away too soon.

And so with that I will say good-bye for now.  If you like, please share how the final weeks of your summer are rolling.  It’s always good to hear from you!

Image at top, a beautiful bouquet of flowers gifted to me by one of the students (courtesy of their parents) from the Global Leadership Program this week.

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